Kitten season has arrived in the Coachella Valley and here's how you can help

The valley has been heating up and so has the love life of community cats. Kitten season has begun and shelters in the Coachella Valley and beyond are seeing an influx of recently born felines in need of basic care and new homes
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Two kittens who were recently brought to the newly opened animal shelter in Desert Hot Springs.(Photo: Alena Maschke)

As the Coachella Valley heats up, so does the love life of community cats. Kitten season has begun and shelters in the Coachella Valley and beyond are seeing an influx of recently born felines in need of basic care and new homes.

So far, this year's season — which usually starts in the spring and can continue into the summer and fall — has been comparably mild, according to shelter staff across the valley.

But given the length of the season and the various factors than influence cat's reproductive cycles, especially temperatures and overall weather, it's hard to make an assessment just yet, said Frank Corvino, Deputy Director of Riverside County Animal Services.

"It doesn't always fall on an exact date," Corvino said. "We're just now starting the litters of kittens come in."

One factor that may have helped reduce the reproductive activity of feral and stray cats this year is a new program funded by Best Friends Animal Society and executed in cooperation with community partners like Riverside County Animal Services and the Palm Springs Animal Shelter.

Shelters and nonprofits focused on stray animals have build an increasingly cooperative network in the Coachella Valley, a list of phone numbers at Kittyland Cat and Kitten Rescue helps staff reach out to other organizations for help.(Photo: Alena Maschke)

The feral cat program regularly sends out volunteers to trap, spay or neuter, and after a recovery phase release community cats to reduce unsupervised cat populations. Spaying and neutering, reduces the number of feral cats who are able to reproduce, eventually reducing the number of kittens born on the street over time.

While rescue organizations are hoping part of this year's decreased influx of kittens is a result of increased spay-and-neuter efforts, numbers have fluctuated over the years and this year is not an extreme outlier.

There's another factor that may have contributed to the lower number of kittens received by the Riverside County Shelter in Thousand Palms as well as city shelters in the west valley.

Kittyland Cat and Kitten Rescue in Desert Hot Springs has had a very active season so far, which they attribute mostly to the awareness their shelter has gained in the community.

"It started for us a little late," said Ann Woods, Director of Kittyland. "But then it started with a bang."

Elsa, a former stray cat, with her litter of kittens at Kittyland Cat and Kitten Rescue in Desert Hot Springs.(Photo: Alena Maschke)

The nonprofit currently cares for around 70 kittens, a majority of which are housed with foster families. Once they are out of the nursing phase, the kittens will be available for adoption at Kittyland's Desert Hot Springs Campus and local Petco stores.

Becoming a foster parent with a nonprofit like Kittyland or one of the city and county animal shelters is one way cat friends can help, so are volunteering and financial donations.

Shelter and nonprofit employees ask those who find kittens in their backyard or on the street to observe the litter for a while before bringing it to a shelter, to see if their mother is still around. Unless there is immediate danger such as extreme heat and sun exposure or close proximity to traffic, kittens have the best chances of survival with their mother.

An orphaned kitten being fed by the director of Kittyland Cat and Kitten Rescue, Ann Woods, in Desert Hot Springs.(Photo: Alena Maschke)

"So many die because people try and help them," said Woods.

Once the kittens weigh two pounds or more, they can be spayed or neutered, in which case shelter employees advise residents to call Best Friends Animal Society.

Overall, increased cooperation between shelters, nonprofits and individuals trying to help has made a difference, said Woods. "This is a very animal-friendly valley."

Despite this progress and the promising numbers for this year's kitten season, there's still a big need for adoptive cat parents, donations and volunteers, especially when it comes to older cats.

"There are always too many cats and not enough room in the shelters," said Woods.

Kittyland Cat and Kitten Rescue is at capacity, especially as litters of kittens come in during the season, forcing Director Ann Woods to turn down some cats in need of a new home.(Photo: Alena Maschke)